Worm? Parasite?

[AJinNY]

Question.
With my freshwater tank, I notice what looked like a small eyelash on the glass....then I saw another and both looked like they were moving. I thought it was just a piece of dirt and the movement was from the water current.

But then I took a magnifying glass and it looked like a worm or organism of some sort. Have you ever heard of such a thing? Is it not a big deal or should I have the tank copper treated or something?

Thanks!!

 

[lcstorc]

Well I wouldn't jump right to copper. Try to post a macro shot and then our experts can take a look and see if they can get an ID.

 

[PEMfish]

is this FW or SW?

 

[AJinNY]

Its Freshwater.

Not sure I will be able to get a clear camera shot of it.
But is this something to be concerned about? Or is this normal and just something I never noticed before? It looks like a short very thing very light colored eyelash....but if I noticed 2 Im sure theres more.

Any ideas of what it COULD be?

Thank you.

 

[PEMfish]

Honestly, this has me stumped. Thank you, this has not happened to me in FW for a long time. Do you feed live foods? Give me current, and if possible- from a month ago, test results. Also keep a very close eye on all fish.

 

[PEMfish]

Also watch for behavioral changes such as;
-rubbing/ scraping its self on objects in the aquarium
-dashing
-lethargic

 

[AJinNY]

I called the lfs and was told its probably flukes? They said it wasnt dangerous to the fish but I should get it taken care of or the population will get out of control.

But regardless, I would still think if it is flukes, that it could be dangerous to the fish - no?

 

[PEMfish]

DO NOT TRUST THE LFS- EVER!!!

First, flukes can kill fish. And theres no way one would be even half that big.

 

[SubRosa]

Parasites by definition need a host.All the little critters you see on the glass feed on stuff that grows on the glass.Flukes are not visible to the naked eye.

John

 

[AJinNY]

Hi John,
I see more - but I need the magnifying glass, otherwise it would just look like dirt. Theyre not all on the glass some are just suspending in the water and again only with the magnifying glass can I actuall see.
My question is, is this dangerous to my fish and do I need to treat the water?

I remember when I had my salt water tank and I saw a tiny white starfish in the middle of the night....then over time I was seeing more and more of these little starfish and it was becoming a nuisance.....Im wondering if this is a similar situation?

 

[PEMfish]

You need to id it first;
Treat it ok sure, with what? You have zero idea of what it is.
Why? is it bothering any fish.

Keep an eye on your fish and relax.

 

[SubRosa]

If you ever fed live blackworms or tubifex worms their young are tiny white hairlike critters that will wriggle in the water column.The main point is if there were parasites present they'd be on the fish and not the glass or in the water.I seriously doubt there's any danger.

John

 

[Witfull]

there are 2 types of flukes to worry about in FW. gill flukes, which you will never see...and worm flukes whch will anchor themselve between scales of a fish and look like tiny threads hanging off the fish.

 

[SubRosa]

Dave do you mean Anchor Worms?They're not a fluke or even a worm but actually a crustacean.

John

 

[nate_mcnasty]

i would cut back on feeding the fish. i cant think of the name of them but they won't hurt your fish. they feed off of the extra food in the tank. the fish wil eat them too

 

[PEMfish]

That is a guess as to what they are...